According to The Dallas Morning News, 27-year-old Joseph Bobadilla and 43-year-old Rebecca Evans returned their state peace officer licenses after pleading guilty to theft by a public servant, a third-degree felony.
Bobadilla and Evans were accused of stealing more than $2,500 worth of appliances from a Home Depot that was struck by a tornado in 2019. As punishment for the crime, the two former officers received deferred adjudication probation.
According to court records, Bobadilla, a deputy in the sheriff’s office, was working as a security officer at the Home Depot in North Dallas when he collaborated with Evans, a sergeant in the sheriff’s office, to steal appliances from the store.
The store had suffered extensive damage and was closed after being struck by a tornado. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Bobadilla was posted at the store to prevent thefts.
“During his shifts, Bobadilla would take items from the store and later exchange them at another location for in-store credit, subsequently purchasing items with the in-store credits he received,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release after Bobadilla was arrested in 2019.
According to the affidavit, Bobadilla told detectives who interviewed him that Evans had also been stealing from the store on days she provided security. Bobadilla admitted to paying Evans cash for the items she stole from the store.
George Milner III, Evans’ lawyer, said she prided herself on being a sheriff’s deputy and has shown remorse for the crime. Miller added that Evans had never before been in any trouble and that her crime was a “significant lapse in judgment.”
Evans, who had been an employee of the sheriff’s department for sixteen years, was sentenced to two years of probation.
Bobadilla, who had worked for the sheriff’s office for five years, was sentenced to four years on probation, including forty-five days in the county jail.
Bobadilla’s lawyer, Toby Shook, revealed that his client has begun serving his jail term after pleading guilty to the crime. Shook said his client was “remorseful and wanted to take responsibility” for his role in the thefts. He added that Bobadilla has joined a church and is now rebuilding his life.
According to Dunham Law, “Deferred Adjudication in Texas is a special kind of probation that gives you the opportunity to keep your conviction off your criminal record.”
Bobadilla and Evans will avoid having a criminal conviction added to their record if they successfully complete the terms of their probation.
